County Durham Hedgelaying and Dry Stone Walling Competition
Our annual competition is held every year on the first Saturday in November and is organised by Tyne Tees Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) and The Durham Hedgerow Partnership.
The competition aims to raise awareness and promote good practice in the skills and techniques of field boundary management. It is open to both experienced and novice hedgelayers and dry stone wallers. The event plays a crucial role in attracting ‘new blood’ to the profession and provides spectators with the opportunity to observe these ancient rural crafts which are essential to the conservation of our landscape heritage.
11th County Durham Hedgelaying & Dry Stone Walling Competition
Champion Hedgelayer Makes It Three in a Row.
This year's competition took place on Saturday 1 November, 2008 at Houghall Farm, Houghall, Durham.
Spectators witnessed another captivating hedgelaying and dry stone walling competition with people of all abilities pitting their skills against each other.
Supreme hedgelayer Clive Matthews secured a hat-trick of wins in the Hedgelaying competition by successfully defending his title at Houghall Open Farm, Durham, to take the Overall Championship Cup for the third year in a row.
Beth Brown of Staindrop won the Novice Class as well as Best Local Competitor while Seventeen-year-old Headley Alexander from Oxfordshire took first prize in the intermediate class and junior champion.
In the dry stone walling competition, James Mason from Crook came first in the Open class while George Leng from Bildershaw, West Auckland, won the intermediate class and best coping stones, and was crowned overall dry stone walling champion.
Competition Results 2008
Hedgelaying
Overall Hedgelaying Champion
Clive Mathews from Desford, Leicestershire.Open Class
1st place - Clive Mathews from Desford, Leicester.2nd place – Phil Rowell from Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
3rd place - Ray Oakden from Ashbourne, Derbyshire.
Intermediate Class
1st place – Hedley Alexander, from Tetsworth, Oxfordshire.2nd place - Andy Brown from Staindrop, County Durham.
3rd place - Stan Pinkney from Spennymoor, County Durham.
Novice Class
1st place - Beth Brown from Staindrop, County Durham.2nd place - Edward Harrison from Lanchester, County Durham.
3rd place – John Temple from Satley, County Durham.
Best Local Competitor
Beth Brown from Staindrop, County Durham.
Best Cutting
Clive Mathews from Desford, Leicestershire.Best Re-Growth 2007
Jasper Prachek from Deepcar, Sheffield.Drystone Walling
Overall Dry Stone Walling Champion
George Leng from West Auckland, County DurhamOpen
1st place – James Mason from Crook, County Durham.2nd place - David Leedale from Richmond, North Yorkshire.
Intermediate
1st place - George Leng from West Auckland, County Durham2nd place - Peter Nailon from Westgate, County Durham
3rd place – Brian Edmonds from Ripon, North Yorkshire.
Novice
1st place – Elaine Woods from Richmond, North Yorkshire2nd place – Peter & Brian Summers from Osmotherley, North Yorkshire
3rd place - Geoff Gilpin from Belmont, County Durham
Best Throughs
Peter Nailon from Westgate, County DurhamBest Coping Stones
George Leng from West Auckland, County DurhamThis years event has been supported by:
